Thermostatic valve



Patented July 3l, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEFl-CE.

CLARENCE H. MORROW, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE HOTSTREAM HEATER COMPANY, OF CLEVELAN D, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OF OHIO.

THERMOSTATIC VALVE.

Application led August v10, 1925. Serial No. 49,384.

This invention relates to thermostatic valves, such as are used for Controlling the supply of gas to a'water heater.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple valve mechanism which avoids the use of packed joints vand therefore does away with the possibility ot' the valve sticking and refusing to Work, 1n which the number of parts is reduced, and in which, nevertheless, the valve mechanism is capable of convenient adjustment from the outside to regulate the temperature at which the valve seats.

A further object of the invention is to provide a valve mechanismof the class described in which the gas chamber or. chambers are sealed against ,the atmosphere or other pressurev source by a flexible diaphragm and in which the valve'isr self adjusting to its seat and is notl affected by lack .of or improper alignment of parts.

Further objects of. the invention are in part obvious and in part will appear more in detail hereinafter. l

In'the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of one form of valve mechanism embodying the invention.; Fig. '2 is a cross section thereof on the line 2 2, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation on. the line 3-3, Fig. 2.

rlvhe valve mechanism shown in the drawings comprises a casing including a body portion 1 provided with internally threaded members 2 and?) at its oppositesides for connection respectively of the inlet and outl let gas supply conduits. Said member is also threaded at its outer end to receive the cap 4 and at its inner endis provided with an internally threaded skirt 5 to receive the threaded 'ring 6 of a sleeve 7 suitably onn'ied, such as by the provision of the threads' 8, for'attachment to the tank or.

1 container for the water to be heatedLs'aid rsleeve, being of sufficient length to permit the` attachment or assembly of the mechanism to atank or container having a jacket of' asbestos or the like, even though said ljacket be of appreciable thickness. The

ring 6 is connected to the'body of member` 7 by two or more arms 9, leaving its central portion open, as at 10, for a purpose Which. will appear.

In the body portion l-of the casing is the usual cross wall 11 having a large through opening 12 controlled by a valve 13 lying in the inlet chamber 14 of the valve casing and which valve is moved toward its seat on -the cross wall 11 by a compression spring 15 within the cap 4. The valve 13 has a hollow central portion with a conical bottom 16 to receive dthe rounded tapered end of the valve stem 1 7. The taper of the seat or recess 16 is greater than thatot the end of the valve stem, as

Ais secured to the center of the flexible diaphragm 19, made of corrugated thin metal, leather orv of other suit-able material, and the edge of which vdiaphragm is clamped and tightly sealed between the ring 6 and the base of the opening in the4 skirt 5 of the body 1. Beyond the diaphragm the valve stem is threaded to receive a nut 2() on which is sleeved an operating member 21 having an arm terminating in a pointer 2la and which arm is exposed in the opening 10 in member 7 for convenient manipulation by the operators fingers. Said member 21 is rotatable on the nut 20 and is.

held in any position to which it may be 4 adjusted by a set-screw 21". Nut 20 at. its inner end abuts the end of a relatively noncxpansible thermostatic element, such as a carbon pencil 22, lying within a relatively expansible member, such as the copper tube 23, closed at its inner end,.as at 24, and open at its outer end, where it is threaded or otherwise sccuredto the sleeve 7 as at--25.

With this arrangement the gas chambers are sealed against the outside air by the diaphragm 19, which ldiaphragm nevertheless allows free motion-of the valve, valve stem and associated parts longitudinally of the mechanism according to the`relative eX- pansion between members 22 and 23 with -variations in temperature of the water or and without opening the same.

ature at which the valve seats to be readily adjusted from the outside of the mechanism In practice the valve is initially set by loosening the set screw 2lb and immersing the thermostatic elements 22, 23 in water of a deinite temperature, say 110 Fahrenheit,

' which temperature is estimated to bel about the mean of the range of desired adjustment. The nut 20 is thenadjusted until the valve just seats, whereupon the operating member 21 is adjusted until the pointer 21a is at a middle position upon the scale 26. Set screw 2lb is then tightened up.. Thereafter by moving the member 21 back and forth the temperature at which the water is maintained may be raised or lowered, the space between the arms 9 being such that the permitted motion of member 21 with the pitch of threadson the ynut 20 gives a range of about one hundred degrees variation. The adjustment is made from the outside without disturbing any of the parts.

The mechanism described avoids thev necessity for packed joints and nevertheless tightly seals the gas chambers and prevents escape of gas. There is no liability of any e parts sticking and regardlessl of accuracy in machining, the valve is self ac-k commodating to its seat.,

What I claim is: 1. Thermostatic mechanism comprising a valve body having a partition dividing it` into inlet and discharge chambers, said partition being provided with a gas opening and valve seat and said casing being pron vided with an opening in axial alignment with said valve seat, a skirt surrounding said casing opening and providing a diaphragm seat, a supporting structure comprising a sleeve, a skirt ring and connecting vWeb s therebetween, said ring being adapted for securement to said skirt, a diaphragm located between said ring and said skirt diaphragm seat, a gas valve within said body, ai thermostat mounted in thel sleeve of the support and adapted for axial movement with respect to said sleeve p0rtion, an actuating Amember between said thermostat, and said gas valve and comprising a rod engaging the gas valve and sealed through said diaphragm, and adjustable means carried by saidl rod and arranged between it and said thermostatic element.

2. Thermostatic mechanism as in claim 1 wherein the casing is provided with a tubular guide in axial alignment with the gas valve seat for centralizing the rod and the diaphragm in assembly and the adjusting nut is provided with an arm extending to the outside of the support.

3. Thermostatic mechanism as in claim 1 wherein the casing is provided with a tubular guide in axial alignment with the gas valve seat for centralizing the rod and the diaphragm in assembly and the adjusting nut is provided with an arm extending to the outside of thesupport, and means for adjusting said arm with respect to said nut.

In testimony whereof I hereby aiix my signature.

CLARENCE H. MQRROW. 

